Food Protection Trends - May 2012 - (Page 257)

Industry Products 3M Food Safety Unveils Innovative Molecular Detection System for Dangerous Foodborne Pathogens A fter decades of transforming the food processing industry with 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates, 3M is once again revolutionizing the industry – this time in the area of pathogen detection. 3M Food Safety introduces the 3M™ Molecular Detection System: a fast, accurate and easy-to-use method of detecting dangerous pathogens, like Salmonella, E. coli O157 and Listeria, that can shut down businesses and threaten public health. Available worldwide, the 3M Molecular Detection System is based on an innovative combination of unique technologies involving isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection. The system was designed with 3M’s customer testing needs in mind, which translates into a compact, simple, robust system that offers easy implementation and low maintenance without compromising accuracy and reliability. “Leveraging 3M’s record of innovation, including close collaboration with our customers, we believe we’ve found a transformational solution that makes for a faster and simpler way of accurately detecting pathogens. Just as 3M Petrifilm Plates succeeded by melding sophistication with simplicity, the 3M Molecular Detection System optimizes technicians’ time and productivity, improving bottom lines, protecting brands and ensuring public health,” said Francine Savage, vice president and general manager, 3M Food Safety. The 3M Molecular Detection System delivers highly sensitive results by targeting and amplifying nucleic acid in enriched samples. The automated technology has been evaluated with a variety of food types, including produce, meats, processed foods, pet food and food processing-related environmental samples. The instrument is sleek and compact – taking up less counter space than a laptop computer, making it portable and adaptable to various lab environments. “Pathogen testing has now been made simple and affordable. Food processors will benefit greatly from the system’s affordable accuracy and fast time to results, minimizing downtime in the lab. Numerous organisms can be tested in a single run and it was designed to help our customers perform fewer repeat tests and make critical decisions faster,” said Niki Montgomery, 3M food safety global marketing development manager. As part of the 3M Molecular Detection System platform, individual, pathogen-specific assays, or procedural tests, will be sold as a test kits. Each assay test kit uses the same software interface and same DNA extraction protocol for testing between one and 96 samples per run. Assays for Salmonella, E. coli O157 (including H7) and Listeria are available immediately; a test for Listeria monocytogenes is expected in early 2012. 3M will continue to invest in developing a full portfolio of pathogen testing solutions to address customer needs. Independent laboratory studies with the 3M Molecular Detection System are currently underway to pursue global method recognitions. “In our evaluation of the Listeria species assay, we liked the small footprint of the system as well as the quick delivery of results after sample enrichment,” said Dr. Martin Wiedmann, a professor in Cornell University’s department of food science who studied the system’s analyses of samples taken from meat-packing, seafood processing and retail locations. “This system definitely illustrates the potential of isothermal methods for rapid detection of foodborne pathogens.” 3M Food Safety +1 800.328.1671 St. Paul, MN www.3M.com Biotracing Pathogens: A Marriage between Mathematical Modeling and Microbiology any people in the EU are affected annually by fever and diarrhea, or worse, which is associated with consuming food improperly cooked in the kitchen or on the grill. Although the number of Salmonella cases in the EU has fallen in recent years, the Salmonella bacterium is still one of the most common reasons why people get sick from the food we eat. In 2009, there were 108,614 cases of Salmonella infections reported in the EU. A $15 million EU-funded project, www.biotracer.org, which was led by the Technical University of Denmark, aimed to develop mathematical tools to help food manufacturers to trace harmful bacteria and viruses back to the source of contamination. The project has just finished after 5 years and has deliv- M Be sure to mention, “I read about it in Food Protection Trends”! The publishers do not warrant, either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the products or descriptions herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions offered by the manufacturer of said articles and products. MAY 2012 | FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS 257 http://www.3M.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - May 2012

Food Protection Trends - May 2012
Contents
Sustaining Members
Food for Thought from Your President
Commentary from the Executive Director
Assessing Food Safety Practices in Farmers’ Markets
Managing Food Safety Hazards: Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Antibiotic-resistant Pathogens
IAFP Secretary Announcement
New Members
What’s Happening in Food Safety
Industry Products
IAFP 2012
Coming Events
Advertising Index
Journal of Food Protection Table of Contents
Booklet Order Form
Membership Application

Food Protection Trends - May 2012